Two weeks after a magnitude-7.4 earthquake devastated western Colombia, Israel’s ‘Brit Re’im’ (‘Alliance of Brothers’) delegation is still working through the rubble of Cali. According to the joint statement by the IDF and Israel’s Foreign Ministry, its teams have helped locate and rescue 17 people.
TL;DR
- A magnitude-7.4 earthquake struck Colombia’s Chocó department on August 10, 2026 — the country’s deadliest since 1999.
- UNGRD’s August 16 toll: 294 dead, ~320 missing, nearly 4,000 injured; later press tallies top 320 dead and 12,000 homes destroyed.
- Israel deployed the 80-member ‘Brit Re’im’ mission (IDF Home Front Command, Defense and Foreign Ministries) from Nevatim Airbase on August 13.
- The delegation says it helped locate and rescue 17 people at two collapse sites in Cali; five extra tons of medical supplies were flown in.
- Colombia accepted rescue teams from only four countries: the US, Ecuador, El Salvador and Israel.
Colombia’s strongest quake this century
The quake struck at 7:34 a.m. on Monday, August 10, with its epicenter in the Chocó department. The shaking was felt as far as Ecuador and Panama, with heavy damage reported in Cali, Quibdó, Pereira and Manizales. Colombia’s national disaster agency (UNGRD) reported 294 dead, around 320 missing and nearly 4,000 injured as of August 16; subsequent press tallies exceed 320 dead. More than 12,000 homes were destroyed.
80 Israeli rescuers at two collapse sites in Cali
Acting on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s instructions and at the request of Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella, Israel dispatched a joint IDF–Defense Ministry–Foreign Ministry delegation dubbed ‘Brit Re’im.’ The 80-member team, built around the IDF Home Front Command’s search-and-rescue units, departed Nevatim Airbase on the night of Thursday, August 13.
“The delegation’s members are operating at two major impact sites and assisting efforts to locate and rescue trapped individuals, alongside numerous local volunteers,” the IDF said in a joint statement with the Foreign Ministry. The delegation says these operations have contributed to the location and rescue of 17 people, while its engineers map and assess unstable buildings. Israeli media report it is currently the largest international rescue team operating in Colombia.
Five more tons of medical aid
Beyond search and rescue, Israel has shipped five additional tons of medical equipment to Colombia, i24NEWS reports, while the delegation distributes food and water parcels to displaced residents. Bogotá, meanwhile, has drawn criticism for accepting foreign rescuers from only four countries — the United States, Ecuador, El Salvador and Israel — a politically tinged filter widely debated in the international press.
FAQ
When did the earthquake strike Colombia?
On Monday, August 10, 2026, at 7:34 a.m. local time. The magnitude-7.4 quake hit the Chocó department in western Colombia and was felt in Ecuador and Panama. Colombia’s geological service called it the country’s strongest this century.
What is Israel’s ‘Brit Re’im’ delegation?
‘Brit Re’im’ (‘Alliance of Brothers’) is a joint mission of the IDF Home Front Command, the Defense Ministry and the Foreign Ministry — about 80 personnel who departed Nevatim Airbase on August 13 on the orders of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to the official IDF statement.
What has the Israeli team achieved in Colombia?
According to the joint IDF–Foreign Ministry statement, the delegation operates at two major impact sites in Cali alongside local volunteers. The delegation says it has helped locate and rescue 17 people, and its engineers are assessing damaged buildings. Israel also sent five additional tons of medical supplies, per i24NEWS.
What is the death toll of the Colombia earthquake?
Colombia’s disaster agency (UNGRD) reported 294 dead, roughly 320 missing and nearly 4,000 injured as of August 16; later press tallies exceed 320 dead, with more than 12,000 homes destroyed — Colombia’s deadliest quake since 1999.
By Patrick Lancier
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